Player in the spotlight
With the game tied and time running out, Courtney Vandersloot of the Chicago Sky found herself stuck with the ball. Two defenders from the Minnesota Lynx hounded her, forcing her to give up the ball.
But the moment was looking for her.
Vandersloot made her way out to the 3-point line and was all of a sudden open for the game-winner. Vandersloot, as she showed all game, calmly sank the 3 to win it for Chicago.
She came up big in crunch time 💪@Sloot22 has been named Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the 7th time in her career pic.twitter.com/nyeGTU1XNk
— WNBA (@WNBA) June 27, 2022
Vandersloot has been named an All-Star Reserve and will be making his fourth All-Star appearance. She also holds the title of Eastern Conference Player of the Week for averaging close to 20 points per game in the Sky’s last three games.
Game of the week
The game between the Chicago Sky and the Minnesota Lynx was as close as it could get. Neither team showed a clear upper hand up until the start of the fourth quarter, when the Sky led by 10 points.
Still, the Lynx were relentless, tying the game with free throws from Kayla McBride with seven seconds left in the game. This opened the window for another Courtney Vandersloot trademark moment.
Vandersloot cold-bloodedly sank a buzzer-beating 3, giving the Sky their third straight win. They’ve won six in their last seven games.
The Lynx haven’t been winning a ton of games due to losing former MVP Sylvia Fowles to a knee injury. Fowles is back though and it’s only a matter of time before the Lynx get back into the groove.
Big-time ballers
Diana Taurasi still has a few more Diana Taurasi tricks up her sleeve. Against the Indiana Fever, Taurasi dropped seven 3s for a total of 27 points in the win.
Taurasi became the first WNBA player to reach 9,000 career points after her scoring onslaught.
.@DianaTaurasi tied a season-high 7 threes in a game 💪 pic.twitter.com/TIrUs1LPxM
— WNBA (@WNBA) June 28, 2022
The top pair of the Las Vegas Aces also delivered big games versus the Los Angeles Sparks. Kelsey Plum (29 points) and A’ja Wilson (25 points) combined for 54 points in a display of fire scoring prowess and leadership.
Two BIG TIME performances by two BIG TIME players 🤝 pic.twitter.com/ilsUBg3Xu9
— WNBA (@WNBA) June 28, 2022
Storyline to watch out for
The WNBA All-Star Reserves have been announced, days before the game on July 10: Ariel Atkins, Kahleah Copper, Skylar Diggins-Smith, Dearica Hamby, Natasha Howard, Rhyne Howard, Brionna Jones, Jewell Loyd, Emma Messeman, Arike Ogunbowale, Alyssa Thomas, and Courtney Vandersloot.
As expected, several big talents didn’t make the cut—a testament to the continued growth of talent in the league.
It’s interesting to see now how those non-All-Star players will respond in the coming days to make sure they won’t go unnoticed ever again.
